Saw X: First Look at Billy the Puppet’s Franchise Return Released

Saw X has begun unveiling its marketing campaign, and after getting the ominously frightening new poster for the latest SAW film, we are now getting a new promotional image that shows that one of the franchise’s biggest mascots is back, as well! 

There’s old Billy the Puppet, one of the Jigsaw Killer’s go-to scares/diversions when either luring a victim into a trap or inviting police investigators or other parties to participate in his “games.” 

Jigsaw Is Back

Billy the Puppet making an appearance is fitting, as one of the biggest things helping to distinguish Saw X is the fact that it will see actor Tobin Bell will be returning to the screen to play Jigsaw again. Saw X will actually be set between the events of Saw and Saw II; the director of Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter, Kevin Greutert, will direct this latest chapter. 

What Is Saw X About? 

According to the press release from Lionsgate Pictures:

John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most disturbing installment of the Saw franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of Saw I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through devious, deranged, and ingenious traps.

“We have been listening to what the fans have been asking for and are hard at work planning a movie that Saw aficionados and horror fans alike will love,” Saw producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules wrote in their own press statement. “And part of that is giving the reins to Kevin Greutert, director of Saw VI, which is still one of the fans’ favorites in the entire series.”

Saw originally ran through seven installments, starting with James Wan’s cult-hit breakout indie film in 2004, and culminating with Saw 3D: The Final Chapter in 2010. Following that endpoint, the franchise was on ice for years through the 2010s, before taking two stabs at reboots. Jigsaw (2017) followed Kramer’s secret first apprentice, recruited from the early stages of his “games” before the first film. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) saw a copycat use Jigsaw’s legacy to start a new era of twisted games. Both attempts met with middling to lesser success – hence why Lionsgate is going back to a fan-favorite director and the franchise star for this latest installment. 

Saw X has a release date of September 29th.